title: Auditing a nationwide vascular registry--the 4-year Finnvasc experience. Finnvasc Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the validity of a national vascular registry.
  
  
  METHODS
  17,465 vascular and endovascular procedures, immediate reoperations excluded, registered in the Finnvasc registry from 26 centres during the years 1991-1994.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison of the number of registered procedures with hospital records, comparison of initial registrations with a random sample of re-registration and comparison of the 1-year local data input of one major centre to the same data input of the central unit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of missing registrations was 19% ranging from 0-47%. The data of the re-registered forms were in agreement with the original data in 93% of all data points, the range being from 81-100%. There was a difference of 1.5% in the data between the major centre and the central unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Finnvasc registry makes it possible to audit vascular surgery nationally, although a potential limitation is centres with low registration rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kantonen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepäntalo
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Salenius
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Forsström
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hakkarainen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huusari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaakkola
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaarne
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaartinen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kivivuori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kostiainen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loponen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luther
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mäenpää
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nikula
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riekkinen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rissanen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vilkko
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ylönen
mesh_terms: D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D011786:Quality Control; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*